Beer bros: meet the new faces behind the bar at the Oasis Hotel

When Blake Butler came home one day and asked his younger brother Lachlan if he wanted to lease a pub, he looked at him like he was mad.

"And then we ended up doing it," Blake told the Leader.

Blake, 26, and Lachlan, 21, are the new publicans behind the bar of the Oasis Hotel and Motel on Armidale Road.

The "new venture" came about after Blake, who also works as a car detailer, took one step inside the pub and thought "wow this is nice".

"I'd never been here in my life," Blake said.

The owners at the time made an offer the brothers couldn't refuse, to take on the lease for the hotel, starting January 1, 2024.

Lachlan said picking up the ins-and-outs of the pub business had been a lot of learning "on the run", but the brothers had a clear vision for the hotel.

"We want to synergise the way it used to be with the country music, with the new feel of the place and all the renovations," he said.

"It's trying to find that fine line and the balance between the old with the new, and trying to build something special from that."

A new menu is also on the cards, along with a long list of new family-friendly events, and jam sessions for young up-and-coming artists.

Thankfully, the brothers get along like a cold beer on a hot day, and have embraced the challenge with open minds.

Some things will stay the same, with the brothers preparing to host the 'Wet T-Shirt Competition' in the beer garden on January 27, to raise money for breast cancer patients and research.

After admitting he only managed to get three hours sleep on the eve of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Blake said taking over the pub in January was "probably the maddest thing" the brothers had ever done.

"But, we're here," he said.

The brothers said meeting new people, and trying something new is what they're most looking forward to about being behind the bar.